For decades, ash baseball bats were the go-to bats for most, if not all, baseball players who swung wooden sticks. But maple stormed onto the baseball scene around 2001, and ever since, it has dominated the baseball world, flying off of shelves everywhere.
History
During the early years of baseball, players made their own bats. There were no rules, so bats came in all different shapes, sizes, weights and materials. The first known baseball bat constructed of ash was made in 1884 for Pete Browning of the Louisville Colonels. SAM BAT claims to have manufactured the first maple bat to be sanctioned by Major League Baseball in 1997.
Ash Bats
Northern white ash was the wood of choice to make baseball bats for many decades. In fact, ash bats were the only bats used in the majors until around 1990, when Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays became the first major leaguer to start using maple. Until that point, ash was popular because of its durability, light weight and flexibility, properties that made it the perfect wood to transmit power and drive for hitters.
Maple Bats
Maple bats became the rage in 2001 after Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit 73 home runs using maple. Maple is a much harder wood than ash, meaning also that it's heavier. But new drying technology has enabled bat makers to create maple bats that are lighter and more effective. As maple is a harder wood, the maple bats are thought to be more durable.
Major League Baseball
There are 32 certified suppliers of bats for Major League Baseball as of 2010. But 60 percent of major leaguers use a Louisville Slugger, and about half of those bats are made of maple. Overall, it's thought that about 60 percent of major league players use maple bats.
Safety
There has been talk of banning maple bats in the majors due to safety concerns. When maple bats break, they break cleanly and usually send the entire barrel of the bat flying at high speeds into dugouts or at fans in the stands. It's thought maple bats are breaking more often because of a decline in the availability of quality wood due to overproduction. It's also been noted that the drying process may make the wood brittle and more easily breakable. Ash bats, on the other hand, splinter when they break, and don't send huge chunks flying in all directions.
The Great Debate
Since the emergence of the maple bat, the debate of which is better between maple vs. ash has stayed hot. Maple is a denser wood and doesn't flake like ash does. Also, maple has a harder surface than ash, which many players believe helps them hit the ball farther. However, a 2005 study conducted by the Baseball Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell found no evidence a maple bat packs more power than an ash bat. Major league slugger Curtis Granderson has agreed, saying he started using maple bats simply because they lasted longer. That might not be the case any longer, though, even though players like Granderson say ash bats still break much faster than maple bats. But the Baltimore Orioles' clubhouse manager has said he must order twice as many bats per player per season than he did 20 years ago, when most if not all players used ash bats.
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